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Oh, and the days of watching a convex display refresh down when your modem finally makes that lingering tone let you know the connection to the bulletin board system (“BBS”) was a success. Although mostly asynchronous, these public BBS portals were the first online communities that evolved into local Internet Service Providers (“ISPs”) before AOL mass mailed CD-ROMs.
These are my Web0 memories from the early ’90s, and each year has been an incredible journey as technology continues to expand our capabilities. As technology evolves, the avenues through which we share and surf the unified human output grows every day, creating smaller, smarter devices. The limitless ability to connect, search, and discover on the vast digital superhighway has created a mental paralysis in the age of Web2 social media, leading people to unite and choose hatred as their common denominator.
Related: How to Build a Strong NFT Community
As expected, this Icarus race to build a massive online “community” centered on disgust and impersonal connection has propelled groupthink in political elections and world news while flying toward an impending inflection point.
Today’s connected technologies are changing our community boundaries exponentially. Madison Cansler, Digital Society Strategist Crazy Connection LLCnotes: “Web3 is building a decentralized digital highway for people to connect on their own terms to form communities that match their needs and beliefs.”
The huge online community in Web2 has started to flow as many people as possible to smaller communities. This trend seems to mimic the expansion of suburban America in the 1950s and our modem-connected online BBSs in the 1990s. Both events are enhanced by technology, relying on advancements in their respective “highways” and “vehicles”.
After World War II, there was an explosive growth in automobiles as the mass-production assembly line envisioned by H. Ford expanded many brands around the world.In the US, create federal highway law Suburban expansion continued in 1956, with the creation of production facilities driving demand for more cars. People can now move out of the city and still use the car to commute to and from jobs that are still located in the city center. Of course, improvements in vehicle technology, such as the ability to travel longer distances than ever before, have played a major role in suburban sprawl.
With today’s interconnected technologies accelerating communication, we are now seeing virtual communities forming around the decentralization of information. Essentially, Web3 has created a decentralized digital highway for people to meet and connect with communities that match their needs. With the rise of the Web3 community, this new digital age enables our world to return to localism.
Related: Why a Community-First Approach to Web3 Marketing Works Best
The community is collapsing
As of the 2020s, we are witnessing a shift to smaller communities. This shift is especially evident in the early days of Web3, when groups are formed based on real connections and complementary skill sets. The Web3 movement bears a distinct resemblance to the 1990s, when the playing field was open to anyone with an idea and a computer.
Today, we see this entry barrier lowered by a cell phone or an internet café. Artists and technologists have been able to harness the usefulness of Web3 and build a public culture around the technology’s fundamental principles: transparency, accountability, and sustainability.
In a small but vocal corner of Web3 is the nascent NFT market. The space has grown exponentially over the past few years and is starting to make waves in the mainstream media. The space has migrated from innovators to early adopters thanks to a handful of successful and well-known NFT projects, such as the Bored Ape Yacht Club founded by Yuga Labs. However, the speed at which projects are launched is unprecedented compared to any previous model (such as a Web2 SaaS startup) and is critical to building and understanding your community.
Related: Web3 is the future of the creator economy
Types of NFT Community Members
Communities are vital in the NFT space because they are your startup’s clients, supporters, and funders, some of whom make great “fanatics”! – Yes, startups are now called “projects” in the NFT space because no one wants to over-promise in the current process of getting back into the tech race. It’s important to note that “community” is an umbrella term in the NFT world that can be further subdivided into fans, adopters, and curators.
A fan community is a group of people who are committed and loyal to your project, vision and future. Fans are often the most vocal and active supporters of your project, as their belief in your work affects their belief in the future of blockchain technology.
The Adopters community includes those who join early access to new features, customizations, unique IRL bindings, intellectual property and project utilities. Many adopters in the BAYC community have launched restaurants and cannabis varieties with a boring ape as their mascot. These adopters continue to raise awareness of NFT projects and their personal brands.exist music Festival In 2022, even Snoop Dogg and Eminem have shown their adoption of BAYC for their latest music singles and food trucks serving fans outside the festival gates.
Finally, there’s the curatorial community, which focuses on driving content and storytelling to help advance the project. Curators may already be reaching out to other communities that can bring additional visibility to the brand.
For example, prolific NFT evangelist and MMA fighter Keith Berry is a staunch advocate for the Web3 community. Berry is a well-known figure in the NFT space and believes that the future is digital ownership. He publicly promotes his vision on billboards and social media through his public art buying space to bring emerging artists to Web3. His ethos was echoed by the entire team, who built a public Web3 ecosystem for everyone to join the new Internet.berry tweet“I align with the Royal Goat Club because I see the longevity of projects and teams. I know my audience is connected to vision and utility, so LFG!” Finding synergies leads to a build between curators and projects A strong connection, whereby authenticity prevails.
In conclusion, the most critical aspect of the NFT space is the community. The adoption of NFTs will be driven by collaboration between fans, community members and ambassadors. You have to understand your audience and how you want to help them achieve their goals or you’ll be going in circles without a compass! Without a strategic community plan and built-in audience, your project is likely to be dead on arrival.
*Disclosure: Aaron has met and talked with numerous people and projects referenced in this article. Aaron has advised the Royal Goat Club on long-term strategy and holds a large number of NFTs.
